Severe bush fires usually occur when there is a high temperature and also a very strong wind. Due to the bush fire itself the wind velocity is often increased and this blows the extremely hot air in front of the fire face to such an extent that even though there may be a clear area around the building, the extreme heat would often cause the walls, window frames and the like to begin burning, this usually beginning by the paint being ignited by the intense heat. Also the extreme heat can cause the glass in the windows to fracture thus allowing the hot air, sparks and flying debris to enter the building to cause combustion from the inside of the building.
Various systems have been devised for protecting a building, and one of these has included the installation of rotary water sprinklers around the edge of the building and over the roof of the building. While these sprinklers do deliver a large quantity of water, this is sprayed upwardly and outwardly in all directions and while it may have a cooling effect on the air around the building, due to the fact that in circumstances of high bush fire danger, the strong winds usually prevalent at these times rapidly disperse and blow away the water issuing from these sprinklers thus negating the desired effect.